


Remember You, Remember Me

by DecemberWildfire



Category: Flyleaf (Band), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Skillet (Band), We As Human (Band)
Genre: Contestshipping, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 19:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5510534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecemberWildfire/pseuds/DecemberWildfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Passion for coordinating begins to fade as May and Drew grow older. At 18, they are in Orre and end up pursuing other careers. May gets involved with a band and falls in love with one of the members. But he ends up not being the person she thought he was, and he drags her downhill. Meanwhile, Drew watches from the sidelines, as she falls. Will this story have a happy ending? (Contestshipping)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro: Orre

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This story is based on kind of a compilation of "Broken Pieces" by Apocalyptica, "Take the Bullets Away" by We As Human, and "So I Thought" by Flyleaf.
> 
> Most people probably know this, but just in case, Orre is the region from the Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD games.
> 
> Spiritual themes are included, as usual. Not til towards the end though.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, the songs described, etc etc. No copyright infringement intended. You know the deal.

Phenac City was a gorgeous gem of a town. It was one of the most peaceful places in all of Orre. Even with the Pokemon gym and the new contest hall, the city still had those calm, serene vibes that could make anyone feel at ease.

Drew and May arrived there together. This was their first time in the region. Over the years, they had traveled together on and off, occasionally going their own ways for a while, but always finding their way back to each other somehow. In the recent years, they had competed in the Grand Festivals in Johto, Sinnoh, Unova and Fiore. This was the start of a new journey after taking some time off.

Orre didn't have a Grand Festival, though the region had ongoing contests for coordinators who simply wanted to compete for the enjoyment of it. Drew and May figured it would be a good opportunity to get back into it, without getting too crazy. But truth be told, they were losing interest. Ever since their days in Fiore, the passion for coordinating had slowly begun to run dry. Perhaps it was their age. They were both 18 years old now. The thing that kept them going these days was their rivalry… and it gave them an excuse to be in each other’s company.

"Well, Mr. Rose, are you ready to start training?"

"Hmph, is that a  _question?!_ " Drew said with a flip of the hair.

There was a man jogging around the giant fountain in the middle of the town with his Castform. Drew interrupted his laps and challenged him, while May trained with an elder in the town who was always itching to battle. They were rusty in their battling from all that time off, but by the end of the day they felt confident enough to compete. There wasn't any real fierce competition anyways, since there was no Grand Festival.

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Contest day came, and the Phenac Stadium was packed. It was a fun event for the townspeople to attend, and the competitors were a lot more friendly and easygoing than what May and Drew had experienced in the recent past.

The appeals began. Drew scored a 28 with Masquerain. May got 27 with Blastoise. Six finalists battled it out in the next round, and those two faced off in the final battle. May defeated Drew by a smidge, with her Blastoise mustering up the strength to perform one last body slam, crushing the poor winged Pokemon. May’s victories over Drew were still uncommon occurrences, even after all of their travels over the years. She was awarded $100 and 3 TMs. Orre contests gave out more practical prizes instead of ribbons.

For the next few days, May and Drew remained in Phenac City and just enjoyed the serene atmosphere. Every day around sunset, they'd go sit out by the waterfall and just talk. Drew's feelings for May were so beyond obvious to her at this point, as much as he believed he was concealing it all. 

_But it's been SO many years… when will he ever make a move?_

The sun went down and the oasis was quiet, other than the sound of the waterfalls. They would be leaving in the morning. They thought they'd be spending this next year engaging in simple, friendly contests… but they had  _no_  idea what kinds of experiences were actually ahead of them.


	2. New Passions

They arrived at Pyrite Town on a warm afternoon. It was a good-sized town, though it didn't have the friendliest vibes. Although Pyrite had been renovated over the years from the old, run-down ghetto that it was back when the criminal organization Cipher was around, there were still gangs at nearly every corner and crime was common.

May felt a little uncomfortable being there, but Drew didn't mind. They went to Duel Square in the middle of town and battled with the trainers there in preparation for the contest in the next city. These weren't the nicest people, but May and Drew managed to toast every one of them.

After the battles, a thug-looking guy rode up to May on a skateboard. He looked at her in a very creepy, sinister sort of way.

"Hey there, girl. That battle was LIT."

"Oh, um, thank you…" she muttered awkwardly, slowly backing away.

He moved closer. "Wanna come smoke a pipe with me and the guys? We're chillin' on the other side of the bridge."

"Um, no thanks,” she slowly backed away. “I have to, uh… go wash my… eyes." And she took off running.

_Wash my EYES? Seriously? That's the best I could think of? Oh well…_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A popular rogue in the town named Cail approached Drew. "Hey, that was an amazing battle over in the Square! Are you up for one more?"

*Hair flip* "Bring it on!"

Drew battled with Roselia against Cail's Houndoom. Roselia got knocked down by a handful of fire attacks, being at a complete type disadvantage. But being a much higher level, it took the victory with a good handful of petal dances and a final solar beam. Cail couldn’t believe how easily he was defeated. The people in the square started muttering things to each other.

"Dude… he just beat  _Cail_. Who is this guy? Nobody ever beats Cail…"

The famous rogue went up and shook hands with Drew.

"Good battle, man. Could you come with me? There's someone I want you to meet."

“Uh… sure?”

Cail took Drew over to a large man who had been watching the entire thing.

"This is Duking. He's the leader of our town."

The man was a bit older; probably in his fifties, but he was a HUGE bodybuilder who nobody messed with; not even the thugs.

"Young man,” Duking spoke in a deep voice, “that Roselia of yours is something else. I've never seen a battle like that. Your battling skills are remarkable. You’ve impressed the entire town, defeating our toughest trainer in a matter of minutes."

"Hey, thanks. Means a lot." The two shook hands.

"You clearly have a gift with handling grass Pokemon, considering they have the most type weaknesses. You also seem to have a fascination with grass-types in general, and roses. I noticed you giving a rose to your friend with the bandana earlier today. This is all especially evident in how well trained your Roselia is and how well you handle it in battle. So, let me ask you a question: have you ever considered studying botany?"

"Well, uh… no, not really."

"Would you like to?"

There was a pause, as Drew found this random offer from a stranger to be a bit sketchy.

"Professor Krane from the Pokemon HQ lab was here the other day," Duking continued. "He's looking to start teaching some university-level courses on Pokemon and botany over at his lab. I know this probably seems sudden, but I think you would be a good fit over there."

Drew never really thought about doing something like that, as his whole life had been consumed with contests and training. But this idea sounded very intriguing to him.

"That sounds… nice, actually. I mean, I didn't really want to spend this whole year just coordinating anyway. I'm kinda over it, to tell the truth."

Duking looked pleased. "Good, then. So you'll enroll? It's free of charge for trainers, as it's a new program. You know lad, sometimes the cup runs dry in certain areas of our lives. Sounds like you're ready to pursue something new."

“First you’re gonna have to prove to me that it’s legit. No offense, but I’m not about to drop everything and accept a random offer from some guy I’ve never met before.”

“I totally understand. Here,” Duking handed Drew a brochure from the HQ Lab. “Krane left a ton of these with me. You can call the number on the back if you want confirmation.”

After examining the contents of the brochure for a few moments, Drew looked back up again and nodded. "I'll do it. When do I need to be there?"

"The course doesn't start until next week, but it would be wise to start making the journey there now. It's pretty far from here."

"Okay. Let me just tell May first."

He turned around and saw her in the distance, talking to some guy. He was a handsome dude and was visibly flirting with her. He took her by the hand and they ran off together, and Drew turned away.

"On second thought, I'm ready to leave now. She'll just have to figure it out."

And without a second glance, he was off.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Catching her breath, May stopped by the local motel. She was just glad that she got away from that creepy guy. As soon as she turned down his offer, he looked like he was about to grab her and drag her by force. That's when she took off.

From behind her she heard a man's voice. She jumped in fear that it was the same guy, but turned around to find a handsome, friendly looking guy there.

"Hey there. Sorry about Derek. He's always hitting on the girls in this town, but he’s harmless. I take it by the way you frantically ran away that you're new here?"

"Yeah… this is all news to me. I'm only visiting."

"Well, my name's Aaron. If Derek or any of the other guys are ever giving you trouble, you can come find me. I live in that house on the other side of the square."

"Okay, I will. Thanks! I'm May."

"Well May, would you like me to show you around town? I'll make sure those guys don't bother you."

She smiled and blushed mildly. "Maybe… I should probably find my friend first."

“Ah, come on. It’s a small town.” He noticed her blush. “We’ll be back soon. You can trust me.” He playfully grabbed her wrist and nudged her to follow. She gladly obliged.

As they started moving, she turned her head and saw Drew walking away and out of town.

_Oh? Guess Drew's going his own way again. I guess I'll catch him later._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, I know Roselia supposedly evolved in Johto, but I don't like Roserade, so… yeah. Let's just pretend that never happened? ;D


	3. Let's Be More Than This

Music was playing from somewhere. It got louder and louder as they got closer to Aaron's house.

"Sounds like the guys are practicing," he said.

"Practicing? For what?"

He unlocked the door and they went down to the basement. Down there were four guys playing alternative rock music.

"This is my band, Chorus Romance. We're about to have practice. You're welcome to stay if you want. But I did promise you could go back and meet your friend, so you can definitely take off if you need to."

“That’s okay. I actually saw him leaving. Probably got impatient and wanted to explore other towns. I’d be happy to stay and watch you guys.”

“Awesome!” Aaron grabbed his guitar and went up to the small, makeshift stage to play. May got to see the passionate rock star that he was. Their music wasn't half bad.

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In due time, their 5-song set list ended. Aaron hopped off the small stage and they turned the regular lights back on.

"So, what did you think? Not too horrible I hope?"

"No, not at all! You guys were really good! I like that kind of music."

"Heh, that's very kind of you, but you don’t have say that just to make us feel good. We're a new band so it's all still pretty raw.”

“No really, you were great. Honestly.”

“What about you? Do you play?"

"Oh, no, I don't..." she looked down. "I'd love to… but I guess I've just never had the time to learn. I've just been training and competing in contests basically my whole life. But it was always sort of a secret dream when I was really young to be a musician. But I thought it was silly so I shook it off and just focused on my Pokemon journey."

"Well, you're here in Orre. So that means you're not competing as much these days, right?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"Why not start learning music now? You know, we've been looking for a keyboardist for the band."

She had always wanted to learn to play piano/keyboard. That was her secret childhood dream. This opportunity seemed too good to pass up.

"Okay. Yes, I'll do it. Can you teach me?"

"Absolutely. How about you come back at this time tomorrow?"

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_Two months later…_

"You're really getting good, May."

She had just finished her second official band practice with the guys. The band had migrated to Agate Village, the lead vocalist's hometown, for a couple weeks. The inhabitants of that town were mostly old folks, so the band generally went into the Relic Cave and had acoustic practice, as not to disturb them with the music.

After practice one day, May found herself running to catch up with Aaron as they exited the cave. The other members had left long before them.

"Hey Aaron, wait," May called out, as they stood by the waterfall near the cave's entrance.

He spun around. “Are you good there, May? What’s the rush?”

Catching her breath, she asked the question that took her two months to work up the courage for. "Do you um… do you think you'd wanna get dinner tonight?"

This was weird. She'd never gone out with a guy before. But she liked the freedom. Since coordinating wasn't taking up her whole life anymore, she liked being able to try new things that she had been missing out on the past 18 years. And Aaron was just… well, gorgeous.

"Yeah, let's do it."

“Really?” she perked up. “I mean, um, cool. So… where do you want to go?”

He laughed sweetly. “Meet me by the Pokemon Center in an hour. I’ll think of something.”

That night, they grabbed some food from the mart and sat on the pier by the ocean. Aaron was so charming. They talked all evening and something clicked.

"You know May, I wrote a song about you."

"No way! Can I hear it?"

He laughed. "Not yet. It's still in the making. But I promise you will."

"You're really sweet. But why did you write a song about me? What's it about? I mean, does it have good meaning? Does it-"

"You'll find out," he smiled. "How could I  _not_  write a good song about a cute girl? You know, you're really something else."

She could do nothing but stare at him with a huge blush.

“So what made you want to ask me out? Was it because I finally nailed that riff today?” he winked. “I mean, tell me I didn’t nail that riff?”

“Oh, you nailed it all right,” she laughed. “I just… well, it’s been a long time since a guy’s been so nice to me. I don’t know, I guess I just have a thing for musicians and didn’t realize it until I met you,” she winked back.

Aaron looked up at the stars and took a deep breath. "May, let's be more than this. Will you be my girlfriend?"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Later…_

"Alright, good work everyone. Have a good break and I'll see you all in two weeks."

The lecture hall was dismissed. Drew went down and grabbed all his stuff from his dorm room and exited the lab. He had been studying botany there for over three months now, and the students were all being given two weeks off.

The lab institute's atmosphere was getting old and Drew wanted a change of scenery for once. Perhaps it was time to compete in a contest for the first time since Phenac City?

"Flygon, go!"

He hopped on the desert dragon and flew to a nearby seaside city called Gateon Port.

_I wonder if she'll be there…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Fun fact: the band's name Chorus Romance is based on an actual Texan band called Choris Romance (yes, Choris, with an I). Flyleaf has history with that band and the song "So I Thought" mentions them. /coolstorybro


	4. A Thousand Shards of Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Viewer discretion is advised. This chapter contains some mature content and dark concepts, and is not really meant for young audiences. Nothing graphic of course, but still.

The guys were all sitting at the kitchen table when she walked in that morning.

"Hey babe, guess what? We got a gig!"

"No way! Where? When?!"

Aaron handed May a letter sent from the Krabby Club in Gateon Port, inviting them to perform at their venue. They were scheduled to play in two days.

"We'd better get going now," said James, the bassist. "Agate's close to Gateon, but we’ll need to get situated and do sound check and all that."

"Hey May," Aaron said as he went to embrace her. "I'm really glad you'll be with us for our first real show."

He made her melt, every single day. They had been dating for a couple weeks now but it felt like a lifetime. It all felt so magical to her. They packed their things into James' van and headed to Gateon.

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Drew was lounging by the harbor all morning. Gateon was the perfect little resort for a short vacation. Around noon, he called back his Masquerain and Butterfree, who were also enjoying the sun, and headed back to the Pokemon Center. On the way there, he saw a van drive by and park in front of the Krabby Club, and people started unloading equipment. That's when he recognized a familiar brunette.

May noticed her old rival in the distance, and nearly dropped the speakers as she ran over to him.

"Drew, hey! How have you been? What have you been up to since – wow, it's really been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Guess it has," he said with a smile and closing his eyes. He really did miss her.

"Whatever happened to you back in Pyrite? I turned my back for a minute, and then you were gone."

"I got invited to study botany at the Pokemon HQ lab. The leader of Pyrite was so impressed with my Roselia and my battling skills, that he  _insisted_ I enroll," he said with a hair flip.

May didn't even mind his pretentiousness. She was just happy to see him again.

"Well, what about you? I assume you've been competing all this time?"

"Actually no. I've been practicing to become a musician, and I've even joined a band!"

This kind of shocked Drew.  _May in a BAND? She's not the kind of person I can see doing something like that. But that's cool I guess._

"We're playing at the Krabby Club tomorrow night. If you're still in town, maybe you can come by?"

"Hmm. I'll have to check the calendar, but I suppose I can make an appearance," he said with another hair flip, throwing a rose at her.

"Hey May, be a little more careful with the speakers next time," Aaron said as he came up behind her. He put an arm around her and kissed her forehead. This threw Drew in for an even bigger surprise.

"Um, Drew… this is Aaron, my boyfriend. Aaron, this is my old friend and rival, Drew."

"Good to meet you, man," Aaron said.

"Yeah. Pleasure's mine," Drew said with an unenthusiastic tone of voice, not making eye contact. He recognized him as the guy she took off with in Pyrite, which he was really hoping would end up being meaningless. Clearly he was wrong.

"Well, it was good seeing you, Drew," May said as Aaron pulled her away to finish unloading. Drew stood there and watched them walk away, holding hands, happy.  _At least she's happy._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

That night, May and Aaron went up to the top of the lighthouse and gazed out at the sea.

"I got you something," he said as he handed her a small box.

She opened it and found a sparkly Beautifly necklace. On the back it said, "A Pokemon with beauty that’s second to yours."

"Aw, Aaron. You're so sweet," she said as she leaned in to kiss him. While doing so, she noticed some scars on the side of his neck.

"What happened to your neck?" she asked, as she noticed even more scars on his arms and wrists.  _How had she not noticed those before?_

He looked down. "That's a long story, May. Maybe I can tell you some other time. Right now I just want to enjoy this night."

"O-okay."

They looked out to the distance. "So… how's that song coming?"

He laughed. "I guess I should finish it soon so I can play it for you."

She looked at him and smiled. "Guess so."

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The big night came and the band was setting up at the club. There was a good number of people there; none of whom were familiar with the band until that night. In due time, the MC went on stage and introduced them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have some special guests here tonight. All the way from Pyrite, give it up for Chorus Romance!"

The crowd cheered and the band started playing. They had a set list of 5 songs, which wasn't very long, but they had a blast. Except May was concerned that she didn't see her green-haired friend there after he said he would come.

Outside, Drew was standing by the edge of the dock near the club, listening to the music. They were pretty good. He was trying to bring himself to enter the building, but he still felt bitter about Aaron.  _It's her choice. Whatever. She's in a real relationship with that guy and I can't change it, so what am I doing being upset about it?_

It was true; he was an adult now, and getting jealous and staying away felt immature. He pulled himself together and went in, about halfway through the set list.

May was happy to see him walk in. He looked at her and smiled, and suddenly the concert felt so much more alive. She got her passion behind the music again and the band blew the crowd away.

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After the show, May and Aaron were hanging out backstage and packing the rest of their stuff, after the other members had already left.

"So… do you wanna tell me about those scars now?"

He was silent for a moment. He went and sat down by her and had a sorrowful look on his face. May had never seen him like that before.

"I grew up in a place called The Under for the first 13 years of my life. It was a secret underground city right below Pyrite, and at the time, it was run by a criminal organization called Cipher. It was a really sketchy place, with lots of gang activity and drug dealing businesses. Way worse than Pyrite ever was. I got mugged so much that it became normal. I lived alone with my mom down there, after my dad left us when I was 5. My mom was an alcoholic and got abusive. The woman was crazy. I never even saw the sun until I was 13 and moved up to Pyrite, after The Under was closed and buried."

May was shocked to hear all this. She had no idea he had such a hard life growing up.

"So your mom gave you those scars?"

"No. I did."

May held him close. She felt so much closer to him since he was being so vulnerable. And all the same she wanted to cry because her heart hurt so badly for him.

After some time, he got up and went over to fetch something from his bag. Looked like some kind of bottle. He opened it, took a handful of capsules, and swallowed them.

She got up and took a closer look. And freaked out.

"Aaron, what are you doing?! Is that… meth?"

"I told you, The Under had a lot of drug dealing businesses. There's no way I would've survived all those years down there if I couldn't use these to ease the pain."

"Aaron, this is crazy! Those things are gonna kill you. You don't live down there anymore, so why do you still need them?"

"It still hurts, May! You wouldn't understand!" He was starting to get furious, and fast. This was also a side of him she'd never seen, and it was a little scary. "During the day, when I'm with you and the band, I'm fine. But at night the memories all come back and I start feeling that pain again. These help me get through it."

May started to tear up. She was going to lose him to these things.

"Aaron, please. I'm begging you, please, for me… stop taking them. I don't want to see you fall."

"They can make you feel good too, May."

She stared at him with shock that he was even saying something like that.

“Are you kidding me? Why would I want to do that to myself?”

He handed her some. "Do this for  _me_ then. We can do this together. Just do it this once, and then I'll think about stopping."

“NO!”

“This is how you can help me! If you do this and step into my world, I’ll stop. I promise.”

At this point, all she cared about was him and his well-being. If she did it just this once, he might be saved. She swallowed the pills.

Meanwhile, right above them, Drew was eavesdropping through the very thin walls. He was still at the bar having a drink, and was astonished at what he was hearing. He thought about stepping in, but he knew May was responsible enough to keep herself under control. She wouldn't become like Aaron. After all, he said it himself earlier.  _It's her life, her choice._

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Whatever it was that she took, it felt good. That same night, she found herself asking for more. And the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that.

And he never did stop.

She had come to meet him in a thousand shards of glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am NOT, by any means, endorsing drug usage, self-harm, alcoholism, etc. in any way by writing about them. These are the kinds of things I see a lot of people in my life depend on and live for, and it's so heartbreaking to watch them go down that road and refuse to stop. But it's something that I truly believe Jesus can heal ANYONE from, no matter how bad it is, if we truly seek Him. Like I said at the beginning, the story's gonna get spiritual in the last chapter, and I'll probably bring this all in when it does.


	5. I've Gotta Turn and Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: More mature content in this chapter. Same deal goes.

A week had passed since Drew's arrival in Gateon. He thought about traveling somewhere else for the second week of break, but decided to stay since May was there. Despite not wanting to interfere with her life and her decisions, he couldn't help but worry about her. Ever since that night at the Krabby Club, he knew that Aaron was bad news.

The members of Chorus Romance stuck around Gateon too. It was nice to have a change of scenery from nasty Pyrite. They had band practice occasionally, but most of the time, May was running off with Aaron, doing some not-so-good things.

Drew saw them walking together one day. He couldn't help but notice the lack of color and life in May's face. She looked horrible. It was as if she was depressed and had just been through some sort of serious trauma. He put two and two together and knew she had started using with Aaron, but was still shocked at how quickly the effects started becoming noticeable.

But what could he do? It's not like she would listen to him, telling her how to live her life. It was like that experience with Harley when they were kids. Harley was deceiving her at the Grand Festival and Drew knew it, but she wouldn't listen to him. This would be the same kind of thing, except she'd be even less likely to listen. Aaron was her boyfriend; not just some rival.

He went back to the Pokemon Center and made a video call. A pink-haired woman appeared on the screen.

"Hey Drew! How are you? It's been way too long."

"Hi Solidad. Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something serious."

"Of course. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine with me. Can't say the same about May, though…"

_Desperate times call for desperate measures._

She gave a look of extreme concern. She hadn't heard from Drew in at least a year, and now he was calling because something was wrong with May.

He went on. "If you had a friend who was being brought down by someone else, and you just knew she wouldn't listen to you no matter what… what would you do?"

"Drew, what's happening with May? Is it serious?"

He didn't want to announce her business, but this was Solidad he was talking to.

"She's on meth. And her jerk of a boyfriend's the reason why."

She turned white in the face. He was expecting her to express her astonishment, but she remained calm and said, "Drew, I know you're probably concerned that she'll just get mad at you for stepping in and won't want to hear what you have to say, but that's not the important issue here. You need to talk to her. This is literally life or death here. It's okay if she gets mad and defensive. Just as long as she's okay in the end."

“Do you think you could talk to her?”

“I would love to Drew, but I think it should be you. You’re her best friend.”

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May sat out by the ocean for a while that night and Aaron was up in his room. It was starting to get late. She was going through mild withdrawal and it was pretty painful. She didn't want to be around him while that was happening.

_I bet he's probably loading up right about now..._

"Hey."

Her green-haired friend was standing behind her.

"Hi Drew."

"So," he went to sit down beside her. "How are you doing? Entering any contests soon? Playing any shows?"

"No, not really. I'm not sure what my plans are right now…"

"May, I'm just gonna cut to the point,” he spoke in his straightforward tone of voice. “I think you need to break it off with this guy. I know it's not my business, but I'm telling you, he's bad news. He's got you on  _drugs_ , for Pete's sake. He's only gonna drag you down farther. Trust me on this. Remember the whole Harley incident in Hoenn all those years back?"

He was expecting her to get defensive and yell at him, but she just sat there calmly.

"I know.” She sighed softly, trying hard not to hurl, as the feeling came and went. “Aaron's not good for me, and I know I need to turn and run. I've already stopped with the drugs. I'm gonna break up with him tonight."

Drew was surprised at how easy that was. But more than anything, he was relieved. She was going to be okay.

"Sounds good. You're better off without him." His natural instinct in these kinds of moments was to give her a rose, but realized this obviously wasn't an appropriate time to do that.

"I'll be okay. Thanks for your concern, Drew. You're a good friend." She stood up and went into the Pokemon Center and headed up to Aaron's room.

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As predicted, he was high and had started drinking a bottle of liquor. When May saw this, she knew for sure that she needed to end it.  _But was this the right time? When he's in his sorrowful mode?_

He poured her a glass. "Join me?"

"Aaron… no. I need to talk to you."

"I finished the song," he said.

She froze up. She had completely forgotten about the song.

"I can play it for you tomorrow. I did promise you that I would."

 _I can't let this distraction stop me._ "Aaron, we need to break up."

He put the bottle down and looked at her.

"This just isn't working. I love you, and you know I do, but… the drinking, the drugs, the sorrow, the way you get so mad at times… I so desperately want to help you, but you don't want to help yourself. I can't let you keep pulling me down with you. I need to do this for me. I'm so sorry."

He turned and walked up to the window for a few moments and was silent. He grabbed a piece of paper off the table and ripped it. When he faced her again, tears were spilling down his face.

"May, stay the night. Please, stay the night. Just one night. I need you here. My nights are lonely enough as it is."

She stepped away. "No, Aaron, I can't. I told you, this isn't gonna work. I hope you'll be responsible with this stuff in the future, but I can't stay. I'm leaving now."

As she got to the door, he called out, "May, if you don't stay with me tonight, I'm gonna hurt myself."

She turned back. "Aaron, this is not okay! Please don't do this."

He went up and embraced her. "Just tonight. Stay with me just tonight."

Shamefully, she finally said, "Okay. Fine. Just one night."

He shut the blinds and dimmed the lights. She stayed the night.


	6. Am I Too Far Gone for a Remedy?

She woke up early and there he was, still asleep by her side. The previous night's events flashed before her eyes. She couldn't even bear to face him and tell him it's over again like she tried to the night before. He was only going to want more. So she quietly got out of bed and left a note.

_Aaron,_

_By the time you read this I'll be gone. I wanted this all to work out. As you showed me your scars, I only held you closer. But as the light in you went dark, I saw you turn over. I wanted always to be there for you and close to you, but I'm losing this and I'm losing you._

_I've gotta save my blood and pack up the pieces of me. Maybe without me, you'll return to all the beauty I once knew. But if I stay, I know we will both be drowned by you holding onto me._

_Please take care of yourself. I mean it._

_May_

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May hopped on a bus and left Gateon for a while. She got off at a lonely gas station out in the windy desert called the Outskirt Stand. Sitting at the bar alone for a while, just thinking about everything with Aaron… she didn't think it was even possible to ever feel this low. She felt worthless.

_Why do I feel so sick inside? I don't recognize this feeling…_

It wasn't just physical sickness from the effects of the drugs. She knew that. It felt more like spiritual sickness. Felt like nothing could fix it.

_I messed up so badly. I went too far this time. Am I too far gone for a remedy?_

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"Butterfree, use gust and aim at the surface!"

The winged Pokemon stirred up some waves in the sea, and followed up by using psychic to craft them.

The passerby sailors continually commended their appeals throughout the day.

"Nice work today. Return."

Drew had been training all day, figuring it would be good for the Pokemon since it had been so long, though he wasn't sure if he was going to enter a contest anytime soon. He hadn't seen May anywhere since the night before, but was still comforted knowing that she ended things with Aaron.

_But where is she now? I mean, she did end it... right?_

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Still at the gas station, May pulled a torn piece of paper out of her bag. It was part of the paper that Aaron ripped up the night before. She had grabbed it on her way out. It was the lyrics to the song he wrote about her. It was hard to make out what was written since the paper was torn and she only had a sliver of it, but her eyes welled up as the read what she could.

_Take my hand, I give it to you,_

_As you shine like the most dazzling treasure_

_. . ._

_Kiss the stars with me,_

_And dread the wait for stupid calls returning us to life_

_. . ._

_And we'll make something out of nothing_

_-CR_


	7. Confessions

"Come on! I don't see why you can't just let me take it for ONE day!"

"I told you already! The Robo Kyogre is reserved specifically for heroes who need access to Citadark Isle and other underwater hideouts for the purpose of protecting this town. We cannot permit ordinary people to take it just for the fun of it."

"Larry, you KNOW me. Come on, what do you think I'm gonna do? I just want to explore for the day, and the sub's just sitting out there. Here's my money. Take it and let me rent it."

"Now Drew, you know as well as I do that the sub has only ever been used by Orre's old hero many years back, and that it now represents his brave and heroic missions in defeating Cipher and saving this region. We keep it there and preserve it for our hero's return."

"He's not coming back, Larry. He's gone. He's been gone for 10 years. Cipher's disbanded and your town doesn't need saving. Your hero's not coming back to take the sub. You got stood up. Ya should've been wearing a prom dress."

"I've had enough of this, Drew. Giving me attitude will get you nowhere. You're not getting the sub. So buy something else or leave."

Annoyed, he exited the machine parts shop. Those two never really got along, but he supposed it was worth a shot. He ended up hanging out at the Krabby Club most of the day and watching Razell and Dazell perform, for lack of other things to do.

Later that evening, he saw a bus pull up and let some people off. And out came May.

She still looked as terrible as she did that night they talked. When he went up and confronted her, she barely said a word and wouldn't look him in the eye.

"Come on. Let's go," he said.

"Where are we going? Drew, I don't want to g-"

"Let's go."

He took her gently by the arm and went over to the rotating bridges and led her into the lighthouse. They headed for the stairs and started making their way to the top, when she stopped him.

"Drew, wait. If we're gonna talk, let's do it here. Going to the top would just remind me of… him."

"Okay. We'll talk here."

They sat down inside and were silent for a while. The sun had set and it was dark in there, other than the spinning light from above and what was left of the faint light in the sky. They were alone.

"How are you doing, since ending it?" he finally spoke.

She didn't say anything for a moment. She was sitting a few stairs lower, still not facing him.

"You want the truth? I feel horrible. I feel like trash. I should've never gotten involved with him or with the band. I should've just stuck to coordinating. This whole thing was stupid."

"It wasn't stupid. Your band was good."

Silence again. Then it suddenly hit him that this might be the only opportunity he'd ever get again.

"May, that guy may have been an idiot and a jerk who doesn't know how to treat a girlfriend, but you should know that he's not the only one who's had feelings for you…" he trailed off.

She finally faced him and looked him in the eye.

And with a sigh, he fought through the stronghold of pride.

"May, I've loved you for a long time. Ever since we were kids. Ever since our days back in Hoenn. I hate thinking that, if I would've just told you sooner, you wouldn't have ran off with that guy and none of this would've happened. But I'm telling you now. I miss seeing that crazy, clumsy side of you. You're a great person and I don't want you to ever lose sight of that."

He threw her a rose.

"…Drew," she began to tear up, staring at the rose in her hands. "…This was so, so sweet of you, and thank you for being so honest with me. The truth is, I've had feelings for you all that time too, but-"

It became hard to speak as she began to sob. Drew continued to put all of his usual pride aside and was just with her in that moment. He moved closer and put an arm around her.

"…But, I can't do this. I just can't. I'm so messed up right now, and… it's just not gonna work."

He slowly backed away and stood up, confused.

"Drew, you're an awesome friend, and you always have been. But you're right. None of this would've happened if you would've told me earlier. I waited SO long, Drew. I'm glad you told me tonight and I appreciate that, but… I need someone who won't wait forever to commit. I need someone who isn't so full of pride all the time and can't even humble himself enough to tell me he loves me until years later."

"May, didn't you hear me? I know I messed up, but I'm here NOW. I know I can be prideful and snarky, but I'll work on it, okay? The reason I did and said all those things this whole time was because I liked you."

"Yes, I know that Drew. Your teasing and your personality are what I love about you. And that's why it's not gonna work. I don't want you to change. It wouldn't be _you_. I'm so, so sorry."

With that, she got up and exited the lighthouse, leaving Drew and her rose behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Dialogue at the beginning: Gilmore Girls quote. /noshame


	8. Rock the Range

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: FYI to all you Contestshippers, I'm just gonna let you know right now that this story will probably NOT have the kind of ending that you're expecting or want to see. While it's technically a Contestshipping story in a way, I decided not to make this one another cliché. It'll have a happy ending, yes, but most likely not the kind that everyone wants. Just trying to take a different approach. So just keep that in mind and don't have any expectations.
> 
> This is a very, very lengthy chapter, so get ready.

Wingulls flew through the sky as the sun rose Saturday morning. Trainers were doing some light, early morning training and the shops were opening up. Various boats and ferries were arriving at the harbor. Lots of people were coming to town for the day.

Drew awoke to the sunrise and the commotion from the arriving visitors. He realized that he had accidentally fallen asleep at the lighthouse. Regretfully recalling the previous night's events, he remembered not wanting to leave that place, as there was always a chance of running into her. That was the last thing he wanted.

_I waited too long. I blew it. If it wasn't for that jerk Aaron, none of this would've happened!_

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There was a little rock ledge at the Northeast corner of Gateon Port that could only be reached by rotating the bridges a certain way. And there arose May that morning.

Like Drew, she wanted to avoid the possibility of bumping into each other at all costs. The night before, she just needed some time to be alone and think about all that he said. She ended up just falling asleep out there.

_I hated doing that to Drew, but I had to. Right now I just want to feel better… if only there was something… someone…_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a large number of ferries arriving at the harbor and tons of people causing a bunch of commotion. Apparently there was some kind of event happening in town that day.

Over at the Pokemon Center, these people were piling in and checking into their reserved rooms. The whole center was completely filled up by these visitors; people were even camping out in the lobby. Whatever it was that was happening that day, it must've been important.

Drew and May walked over to see what was going on; luckily not running into each other. After a while the commotion settled down, but minutes later a bunch of trucks pulled up and people got out and started unloading a bunch of equipment. These people looked more official, and they were accompanied by security guards. Those two had no idea what was going on. The townspeople just went on with their day.

Around 5:00 p.m. they came back out and noticed a massive stage, stationed between the town's entrance and the Pokemon Center. There were also now gated railings in front of the edge by the ocean; probably to keep people from falling in the water. These people were getting the final things set up, and it became clear that a big rock concert was happening that night. 

_This must be a seriously important concert for SO MANY tourists to come to town like this…_

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Evening came. It was around 9:00, and all of the tourists had formed a huge crowd around the stage. There were probably at least a thousand people there. May and Drew watched from their respective sidelines, not really interested in joining the crowd; rather, just curious about what kind of concert it was and why it was such a big deal.

Eventually, the stage lights came on and a man started speaking into the microphone.

"What's up, Gateon?! Welcome to Rock the Range!"

The crowd roared with excitement.

"My name is Vince and I'll be your MC tonight. Our mission at Rock the Range is to advance the mission of Jesus Christ. Let me make that clear: it's NOT about the music or the big rock show. The bands that will be playing tonight, they're not here to be entertainers or to just have fun jamming out. They're doing this because God saved each and every one of them and poured out His love to them. And they want to share some of that love with you all tonight."

The crowd continued to cheer. They were really into it. Vince kept going for a while; he was a very gifted speaker. Drew and May were on opposite corners, watching and listening from afar. It was interesting to them that this wasn't just some concert; it was a Christian movement.

Drew was a bit annoyed but also intrigued. The idea of Christianity always sounded kinda ludicrous to him, but deep down he was interested in learning about it. Everything Vince was saying actually seemed to make sense. Though, Drew considered it all just food for thought and nothing more.

At this point, May just wanted some hope to hold onto. She had heard of Jesus a little bit when she was younger, but never gave any thought to the whole idea.

"The truth is," Vince continued. "So many of us in this culture go on believing lies. So many of us have grown up being told that the Pokemon Arceus is the god of the world. We are told that other legendary Pokemon are gods and have control over time, space, sea, land, sky, and other things alike. But I want to tell you right here and now, that those are LIES. Historically, people and Pokemon submitted to these legendaries since the beginning because they FEARED THEIR POWER. They were deceived into thinking that they were gods. They worshiped them as false idols. This led to all these myths; the ones that so many still hold to today. Let me ask you a question: if these Pokemon were truly gods, and if Arceus was the creator and god of the universe, then why are these Pokemon STILL able to be so easily captured by a masterball? Studies prove that this would be very possible if one were to encounter these Pokemon in battle. Why is it that they, in all their power and glory, are still able to be confined into a tiny ball and owned by humans? Wasn't there a time when everyone thought that Mew was the all-powerful, before we even discovered Arceus? My friends, I want to tell you the truth tonight. I wouldn't be here, Rock the Range wouldn't be here, playing free shows across the regions out of our own pockets, if it wasn't our goal to bring you the truth. The TRUTH is that there IS a God above us. HE is the God who is perfect, holy and all-powerful. We DO have hope; we DO have a God to answer to and a Savior to cling to. His name is Jesus Christ. This is the truth that Scriptures proclaim and that all of us at RTR have experienced. It's the truth that has been CONSTANT AND UNCHANGING throughout ALL OF HISTORY."

Vince had so much loving passion in his voice as he spoke. The crowd continued to cheer with much joy as he wrapped up his speech.

"It is my hope and my prayer that all of you here tonight will get to experience the love of our gracious God tonight. That's why we're here. And so, without further ado, let's get the music started, shall we? Please put your hands together, for WE AS HUMAN!"

The crowd went wild. A hard rock band came on stage and began playing their music. They were an underrated band that not as many people knew about, but their music was phenomenal. They played six songs, and when they got to their final track, Justin Cordle, the lead vocalist, began to speak as the band continued to play background music.

"This song is dedicated to anyone out there like me, who has a yesterday with a mistake that's so bad that you can't see your tomorrow. You need to know that you are NEVER too far gone, my friends."

This immediately got May's attention. It was as if he was speaking directly to her heart.

"So I AM a sinner,” he continued. “Make no mistake about it, I am a sinner. But I am a sinner who's been saved by grace."

With that, they played their final song. A woman named Lacey Sturm came on stage to sing it with them. The lyrics to the song also shook May's heart.

" _Am I worthless? Am I filthy? Am I too far gone for a remedy?_

_Will You help me? 'Cause I'm dying, to be something more than a memory_

_If I reach out, can I trust You? Will You help me see the light of one more day?_

_TAKE THE BULLETS AWAY!"_

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Drew was still watching from a distance; intrigued, no doubt about it, but still not moved. He had always loosely held to the belief in Arceus, but never really cared enough to really look into the whole myth or other worldviews. The speeches they were all giving up there were nice, but not convincing. But still, he didn't leave.

A bunch of different bands had played by this point, though they weren't any of the main acts. Eventually, the second main act came on, and it was the band Skillet. The people went absolutely nuts for this band. But it made sense in due time; their music was beyond incredible.

The lead vocalist John Cooper began telling a story about the song they were going to play next, called "The Last Night." This was clearly a very important and personal song to him.

"This next song is about an old friend of mine, who wanted to end her own life. She has been told, ever since she was a kid, that she's worthless. That she's never gonna be good enough. They wished she'd never been born. And so eventually she said, 'You know what? I hate my life. I hate going home every night. I hate what I see in the mirror. I don't have one reason worth waking up tomorrow.' In this song, she comes to me and says she wants to say goodbye. But in this song, I get a chance to tell her how SPECIAL she really is. That no matter what she's been told or what she's been through, her life is NOT a mistake. Now, I'm telling this story, not just so you'll know what the song's about, but because we meet people like her at EVERY SINGLE CONCERT. I know that there are people like her standing out here tonight. Some of you are depressed. Some of you feel worthless. Some of you have thought about or maybe even attempted suicide. Some of you can't find a reason worth seeing the light of tomorrow. Whatever your story is, I wanna tell you how glad I am that you're here tonight. I'm gonna tell you something that got me through my hardest nights growing up; something that can change your life tonight. It is a quote from my #1 hero. His name is JESUS CHRIST. He says, 'Anyone who is WEAK; anyone who is HEAVY BURDENED, come to ME, and I will GIVE YOU REST.' Some of you need rest tonight. Some of you need a reason to wake up tomorrow. If that's you, then you need to know that, no matter what you've done, no matter what you've been through, no matter what you've been told: THERE IS A GOD. His name is JESUS. And He LOVES you tonight, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. And if You give Him one chance, it will be the very last night you will ever spend alone. This is 'THE LAST NIGHT!'"

Hearts were moved. Tears were coming down. Sure enough, there were people just like that girl at this concert. Even the people who didn't necessarily believe in Jesus couldn't deny that they felt moved in some way. Drew was one of these people (though he obviously kept it all inside). May felt it like crazy. She had never heard anything like that before. But somewhere else, another person was feeling moved most of all…

Sitting alone on the same rock ledge that May had slept on the previous night, Aaron was listening to the music and the speeches, and could hear clearly, despite being so far away and out of sight. John's speech had basically just described his whole life. It had never even crossed Aaron's mind in his entire life to look to Jesus for healing. That just wasn't a thing, especially in Pyrite and The Under. But for the first time in his life, he felt true, genuine hope for healing. Perhaps he wasn't as alone as he always thought after all…

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More bands played after Skillet, and Vince was up there on and off, all leading up to the final main act. With the anticipation building, the lights slowly became brighter and music started playing before the singer got on stage. The audience roared with excitement as she finally appeared at the microphone.

It was Lacey Sturm, formerly of Flyleaf, who had previously appeared on stage with We As Human a couple hours prior. The band continued playing and she began to sing. And MAN was her voice out of this world…

She was able to play 8 songs, as one of the main acts. She gave little mini-speeches in between some songs, and it was extremely evident that she was a real, honest, warm-hearted person and a gifted speaker, who happened to also possess the talent of rocking and screaming like a legend.

Eventually the time came for her final song, and as the background music kept playing without cease, she gave a testimony beforehand that changed the hearts of many that night.

"This is our last song. Thank you guys so much for hanging out all night. You've been an awesome audience… thanks so much for coming all the way out here to see us. I know that a lot of you guys know me as Lacey from Flyleaf, but tonight I'm just here as Lacey. Just a normal girl who's no more special than anyone else. Amazing miracles have happened to bring us here tonight. I'm just a normal person, who God rescued from suicide."

She went on to tell her story. She was a hardcore, outspoken atheist until she was 16 years old. Her cousin who was like a brother to her was beaten to death when he was 3 years old, and she decided that there's no way she could trust in a God who would let something like that happen. She went on with life and got into drugs at a young age, followed by partying and other things alike. But she also went into depression around that same time, and it just kept getting worse with time and so many bad things happened. She felt empty all the time, and none of those things could fulfill it. She hated Christians and people in general. All of the negative things became magnified to her and she wrapped herself up in the pain all the time. Until one day, at 16, she decided that she didn't want to wake up anymore. There was too much pain to keep going. So she made a plan to commit suicide that very next day.

"And what was so crazy is that, from the time I woke up that morning to the time I went to bed that night, the God of the universe CHASED ME DOWN, to prove to me NOT ONLY that He existed, but that He LOVED me, even though I had hated Him and had spoken against His people every chance I got. That day, I ended up at home early because I had a nervous breakdown at school, and my grandma was there. She was supposed to be at the hospital with my grandpa, but she just happened to be there. She looked at me and was like, 'What are you doing home?' and I just didn't wanna deal with her. She's like 'Something's wrong with you. You're going to church. I'm taking you to church.' And I just remember going, 'No way, I hate church, I hate those people, they don't know anything about anything…' and she starts SCREAMING at me, at the top of her lungs. She screamed at me for about an hour until finally I said, 'FINE, I'll go to church if you'll just shut up, PLEASE.' And so I went, and I sat in the back and crossed my arms, thinking 'I'm not gonna listen to these people. Just gonna zone out until I can leave.' But then the preacher gets up there, and it was as if he was telling my life story, like I was the only person there. He talked about families he had worked with and horrible dysfunction he had seen, and he's like, 'These kids grow up with SO much pain, and we BELITTLE them. We just act like, 'oh, you'll know what it's like when you get older,' but YOU DON'T KNOW what they go through. You don't know the pain and weight that they carry.' And I just felt like he was talking to me, and every time he said 'pain' my heart broke, but I was like, 'I have to get out of here because this is weird. This is freaking me out.' But then the preacher starts crying, and he said, 'There's a suicidal spirit in the room. Please come up here and let us pray for you. We want you to know that Jesus died to take your pain away, and He wants you to live.' But in my heart I was like, 'There's NO way I'm going up there in front of everybody and saying I'm gonna be a Christian. No way am I gonna do that.' My pride wouldn't let me go. Finally he dismissed us, and I got up and went to the doors, when a man stopped me. He had been crying and said, 'The Lord wants me to speak to you, and He wants you to know that even though you've never known an earthly father, He will be a better father to you than any earthly father could ever be. And He wants you to know that Jesus died on the cross to take that pain out of your heart. He's SEEN you cry yourself to sleep every night, and He didn't intend for you to live that way.' That shocked me because I had done that every night for six years. And he kept telling me things about my life that he couldn't have known, just like the preacher, and finally he asked if he could pray for me. At this point I was like, 'You can try that? I don't really believe in God but I know something crazy is happening right now…" and he put his hand on my shoulder and began to pray, and it was as if the God of the universe showed up, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. And in that moment I saw myself for who I truly was. I saw that I was so sinful, so selfish and so hateful, and that God was HOLY. My whole life flashed before my eyes, and I recognized that I didn't deserve to be standing in front of this God I didn't even believe in… I just wanted to hide. I was too messed up. But at the same time, I felt God wrap His arms around me and go, 'I get it. I know. I see your hate and selfishness, but I LOVE YOU ANYWAY, just as you are. But I will make you new if you let me.' And I remember waking up the next day and saying, 'Okay God, I wasn't supposed to wake up today, so… what do You wanna do with me? Why am I waking up?' And since then He's taken me on the most amazing adventure that I could've never imagined for myself."

Waterworks were happening in the faces of the audience. It was a total miracle that she was still alive and standing before them, as a living witness.

"And when I realized that God loved me, I knew that He loves EVERYONE the same. And He wants us to have life to the fullness of what it is. The thing is, so many times, we short change ourselves because we believe a lie. We believe a lie that what we see is all we get, but what the Bible says is that what we see is only temporary, and what we DON'T see, that's what's eternal. When we talk about sin, we have to understand what sin is. It's NOT God trying to take things away from us, control our lives and make everything boring. It's God saying, 'If you do this, it will be death. If you do  _this,_  it will be life. PLEASE, choose life, so that you will live. I made you; I know how you work. I made this whole earth, I know how it works. And I'm telling you,  _this_  is death, and  _this_  is life. Please choose life.' And the thing is, we all chose death. We all believed a lie that what you see is what you get, so we must take as much of it as we can; there's nothing else besides this. If this feels good, let's do it. And we came away SO empty and broken in the end, and just kept going and going until, eventually we tore ourselves down. But God said, 'If you do this, you're supposed to die, but I love you SO much, that I'm gonna die in your place, so you won't have to die.' And that's why Jesus came. And that's why I'm still alive. God saved me, so that I could tell people that He loves them, so they won't die. That's why we're here tonight. That's why Rock the Range is here. We're here to tell you that no matter what, GOD LOVES YOU."

May stood there behind the crowd, emotional, and just thinking, "Maybe there really is a God? I don't know, but… if there wasn't, would this girl be standing up there right now...?"

"And that's what this song's about. No matter who you are, what you believe, what you do or what you've done, God loves you." They began playing a cover of "How He Loves."

This is what got Drew. Maybe not completely, but seeds were planted. Maybe these people weren't so crazy after all?

_It does seem insane, but still… no one goes from being a low life like that, to something like this. No one changes their world views the way she did, unless… ugh. It's crazy. But that stuff doesn't just happen for no reason…_

May was still in tears. The speech was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard and she was convinced that something crazy was happening. But a good kind of crazy.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

They were still playing the song when May was approached from behind.

"Hey May, there you are! We were wondering if you were still in town."

She turned around to find the members of Chorus Romance standing there, minus Aaron. James went up and gave her a friendly hug. It was so comforting to feel a genuine embrace again. In addition to all the amazing things happening in her heart in that moment from RTR, it was great to see those guys again. She missed them.

"We're taking off and heading back to Pyrite after this concert ends. Just wanted to say goodbye and wish you well with everything. Unless of course, you wanted to follow and keep being our keyboardist?"

"You guys… you know I would love that, but I really don’t think that’s for me anymore. At least now right now. But I appreciate you asking! I'll miss you all so much. Good luck with the band, and thank you for everything!"

Brad, the frontman, went up and said in a lower volume, "We're really sorry about everything with Aaron. The dude’s got some issues, but he's really a great guy. But despite everything that happened there, we're still cool, right? I mean, you and the rest of us?"

She smiled. "Of course. Take care, all of you. I know you'll go far."

They headed out. "Goodbye, May."

"Goodbye..."

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At the end of the song, Lacey and the band had the whole audience singing "He loves us… oh, how He loves…" along with them. There was a big uproar of cheering by the end and some fireworks went off.

The show appeared to be over, but the crowd wanted an encore. It seemed like half were chanting Lacey's name, and the other half were chanting for Skillet. And so, after a few minutes of all that chanting, both Skillet and Lacey came out and played one more song together. John and Lacey sang a duet for Skillet's song "Forgiven."

This was all happening on Saturday night, which meant that vacation time was almost up for Drew. He needed to be back at the lab by Monday morning. This wasn't exactly the vacation he had envisioned when he originally came to Gateon, but it turned out to have a good ending somehow. He didn't really know what it was, but something was happening internally. He felt free. Free from anger, free from bitterness… even a little free from pride, at that. He started walking towards the harbor, when he caught sight of May out of the corner of his eye.

He didn't go up to her, but he wasn't mad. He wasn't bitter towards her anymore. She was forgiven.

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May had gone up to the top of the lighthouse before the encore started. Being up there wasn't emotionally hard for her anymore. She was facing the stage from a distance and could still hear the music; it was just a little bit more faded.

She remembered the necklace around her neck and the person who gave it to her. She took it off and held it out in front of her, as the sparkly Beautifly glittered in the moonlight. She thought about Aaron. She thought about the band. She thought about Drew.

Having all of them so strongly in her heart, she looked back at the stage, and then clutched the necklace in her hands and held it by her heart, closed her eyes, and whispered these words:

_"Chorus Romance says goodnight,_

_Close your eyes and I'll close mine,_

_Remember you, remember me,_

_Hurt the first, the last, healing…"_

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Drew was flying away on Flygon back to the HQ lab. And May was sailing into the distance on a ship, ready for new horizons.

All the while, both of them were still close enough to hear the last echoes of the finale.

_"You have forgiven… forgiven… forgiven… forgiven…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: WAIT, don't go anywhere, cuz this is NOT the end. Yes, it's the last actual chapter, but… I've decided to do a little epilogue, to wrap things up a little better. But, as implied at the beginning of this chapter and as you can see, Drew and May didn't actually end up together, which I imagine is probably disappointing to a lot of people. And the epilogue isn't gonna change that. But like I said, I wanted to make this story different from the usual, predictable ending. And plus, you can always use your imagination to create your own future for them, the way you'd want it to be. JS.
> 
> A few notes on this chapter: first, the speeches from the musicians were almost, if not exactly, the exact quotes from them in certain videos of live performances. So not my original writing. I thought about changing their lines and writing them in my own words… but what can I say? They're all so brilliant and such gifted speakers; I feel like I'd butcher their speeches if I tried to change them too much.
> 
> Idk much about Arceus and basically all of Sinnoh and the other regions after that. I stopped following after Hoenn. So I apologize if I had the wrong facts or whatever on the Pokemon history and all that. I just Googled it real quick as I wrote it.
> 
> Obviously stuff got super spiritual and Biblical in this chapter, but don't say I didn't warn you multiple times, if you don't like that stuff. This is how I write and I love bringing my faith into everyday things.
> 
> FEEDBACK PLEASE. If you hated the story, tell me why and how I can improve, and don't just say you hated it. The purpose of feedback is to help the author become a better writer.


	9. Epilogue

Drew finished up two years of botany courses at the HQ lab. He was an exceptional student and Professor Krane gave him a high recommendation for The Official Pokemon Institute of Biology and Botany back in Kanto. He now studies there, hoping to become an expert in the field of grass-type Pokemon.

Towards the end of his first semester at this institute, one of his professors informed the students of some new courses that were going to be offered the upcoming semester. These courses would be different from the usual biology and botany studies, if anyone was interested. Flyers were posted outside.

On the way out, Drew happened to notice one that stood out from all the rest.

_Theological and Biblical Studies_

_Who is this Jesus guy? How can you believe that a man was God? Why trust the Gospel accounts? Isn't the Bible full of contradictions? Why believe in God in the first place? Couldn't it all be by chance?_

_All these questions and MORE will be addressed in this course. We will discuss who exactly Jesus is and why following Him is worth it._

_Professor: Gregory Boyd_

_Required textbook: Letters from a Skeptic_

Drew enrolled. It was the most valuable class he had ever taken. It wasn’t one of those biased religion classes, and the professor addressed the heart as well as the mind throughout his teachings. After the course, Drew believed. He went on to be a double-major in botany and theology.

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The night that Rock the Range came to Gateon Port, Aaron ended up getting to talk with some of the musicians after the show. He was amazed that so many of these successful, godly people had such dark pasts that were almost identical to his. He was inspired and allowed one of the members to pray with him. In that moment, all of his desires to hold onto drugs, alcohol and past pain faded away. The chains were broken. He was free.

He went back to Chorus Romance, and from then on, they dedicated all of their music to Christ and His glory.

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May wound up back in Phenac City. She had befriended a woman in that town who invited her to the new church that was just recently built there. It was called Redemption Phenac. They were the most welcoming, loving people she had ever known. She started going regularly and gave her heart to Christ that same year. When the worship team's pianist moved away, the spot was open and they were searching for a replacement. May took the job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Letters from a Skeptic by Gregory Boyd and Edward Boyd is my favorite book and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone and everyone, no matter what you do or don't believe. It really is a phenomenal book.


End file.
